Ford -- who arguably has the most mature infotainment solution in the industry -- is using an Arduino hobbyist board -- an inexpensive microcontroller with strong I/O capabilities -- to grab GPS coordinates, vehicle speed, and other sensor information from the vehicle. Developers can then send this information to their apps, in order to create novel apps -- many of which could be tailored to a local crowd.

Ford engineers demoed one such app, which used GPS information combined with a calendar app to perform a variety of connected tasks. The app allowed the driver to share their location with trusted individuals. It also allowed them to have the app auto-generate emails or text messages when it saw that they were going to be late to a meeting, based on their current position. And the app could even send messages to a driver's family after a road trip -- a particularly pertinent local concern in India, given the elevated risk to drivers.